Hi, JereMaya. It's Daddy. Today is June 18th, 2023. And it's father's day. It's been a while since I left a voicemail ...almost a whole year now. A lot has happened since then that has kept me busy.

But if I had to summarize everything in a sentence, I'm living the best days of my life now. It started in December of 2022, when I stopped working for the first time, since graduating from law school back in 2006. This was a big change for us. And I talk a lot about it on my blog, mklouie.com. So if you want more details, check it out. The TLDR (Too Long; Didn't Read) is basically at the leadership role I was in, on top of being part of some major lucrative, yet volatile companies, my life was not balanced and I needed a break. So I took advantage of this semi-retirement season.

The most noticeable change since I stopped working, is spending more time with you and mommy. And if there was a time to take a break from work, this really is the best time. We are consistently sharing meals together where I'm not distracted or thinking about work.

And I'm showing you all these films that I've been wanting to introduce to you as you continue to mature and learn more about the world we live in. The latest joy, when it comes to films, is showing you your very first rated R movie. Your mommy had major reservations of this as she just loves to show you her childhood shows like Full House.

But there is this one film that I wanted to show you before anyone else, or any other film can spoil it for you. It's called The Matrix. And it was so meaningful to witness you two getting your mind blown- not just from the visual effects and cinematography- but the actual plot twist and discovery of what the Matrix actually is.

And every day since the movie has prompted lots of great conversations and I have a huge smile on my face, as we geek out on the philosophies, principles, and cultural impact of this movie. Things like "what is real?" "What are you willing to do to search for truth?" What are you willing to do to stay safe, secure, and happy?"

"Is ignorance, truly bliss?" And all these deep questions keep coming.

We've also been reading out loud together, much more than we ever did in the past. This week, we finished reading The Hobbit, lots of laughter erupted throughout the chapters and some tears were shed at the end. I look forward to introducing you to the film soon, too. While they're not nearly as good as Lord of the rings, I know you two will enjoy them anyway.

Another milestone is introducing a childhood, game of mine to you both. And now we play at least every other day. This game brings you one major step closer to being a full on nerd like your daddy. And I'm so damn proud. It's playing Magic: The Gathering.

We started by buying cheap preset decks for us to get our feet wet. And you both have gobbled those up. And now we're onto the next level of buying booster packs. So we can start crafting our decks to play against each other. And what is getting a lot of hype in our family is, any day now, we're expecting our first box of Tales of Middle Earth, which is the Lord of the Rings universe being playable within the Magic: The Gathering framework. The timing of reading JRR Tolkien and this introduction to magic could not have been better timing for our geeky family.

So yes, spending time with you and mommy has been wonderful and I've also been focusing on my physical wellbeing. I was running on average 15 to 25 miles a week. And getting ready to register for a new marathon. Unfortunately, I got injured and pull my butt muscles of all the things during a flag football game on my birthday.

So I'm on rest for the next few weeks. If you want more details, check out my latest blog, which is appropriately called "Butt Hurt."

But it is really fun to see you twins getting interested in running too. So running one to two miles with me has been a major milestone in your journey with running and I'm excited to see you develop even further.

Of course, this doesn't mean mommy and I have been on vacation this whole time. For starters, your mom, after nine years of sacrificing her career to be the most wonderful stay at home, mom and wife, she is back in the workforce. She's now an event manager for a local nonprofit dedicated to fundraising our public schools. And I could tell she really enjoys being part of this team.

The work mentally challenges her to problem solve, be creative and also network, not just with the nonprofits, but also the vendors and partners involved in creating wonderful fundraising events that bring our community together.

As for me while you were at school, I've been spending my days learning to illustrate. It's been something that's been top of mind for me the past five years. And I'm excited that I'm actually doing something about it now.

The first time I fell in love with creating art was when I participated in Inktober 2018. It's a daily challenge to draw a suggested specific idea for each day in October, hence Inktober. And it's fun to share and see what other folks are drawing for those daily prompts.

So when I quit my job last December, I want to take a stab and learning as much as I could, since I never took a class on drawing before. And I've been on this journey by no means it is easy. Um, I get tired easily. My brain hurts from learning just even the most simplest things, but, I'm learning to grasp the fundamentals - draw shapes, perspectives, coloring, the human anatomy and more. I paid for a few online classes and also been meeting up with a few professional illustrators in person to see what their day and life is like. So these days are filled with lots of inspiration and learnings, and I'm happy with my progress so far.

If you'd like to see my latest art, you can always check out my Instagram. My username is @mewiekai that is M E w I E K a I and that's on Instagram.

And as an added bonus, I think what also makes me happy is seeing how much illustration has blossomed for you, Maya. We started drawing at the same time. You were only six years old in 2018. But the best part is that while I continued working since October, you kept illustrating and improving your skills. You're now at this point where mommy is managing your Etsy page, where you sell your illustrations and make custom art for people's pets.

You've made good money and was able to pay for your own Nintendo Switch. And for every commission, you give a portion of it to our local valley humane society. Your love for animals and art drives you. And I love that. With this momentum and hunger to learn, I'm super excited for what you will create in the future.

Even though I'm not working full-time for a corporation, I've been making some side money to help pay for our day to day expenses.

So I've been working, part-time doing some marketing consulting for some friends, businesses. And thanks to your Gramps, I've also been learning how to day trade. It's been very lucrative, but I'll be the first to admit that the profits and gains is very inconsistent. In fact, I think I lose more trades than I win.

But luckily the trades I do win on , have proven to be very profitable, which is why financially we're doing okay.

But I don't see myself consulting or day trading as much for the longterm. I really miss collaborating with teammates uh, getting that predictable, consistent paycheck gives a greater sense of security. There are certain things about employee communications I just love to do, so ultimately I do want to go back to the corporate world eventually.

I'm currently interviewing with a few companies. Um, so we'll see how that goes. In the meantime I'm really enjoying this season of life.

Yes, tons of learnings and shared experiences for the year 2023. But if there were three key takeaways, I'd like you to ponder it's this. First key takeaway. There will always be a season to embrace change. If you've been working as long as I have. There may come a time when you think is this what I really want to do for the rest of my life?

Or you might also think, is there something that gives me more joy and can I make a living from this new path? And you really won't know these answers until you try. So that's why I'm trying now. And while I absolutely love learning how to illustrate, I just don't know if it's a sustainable career path with our current season of life. Most illustrators I personally met told me how rare it is for artists to be able to make a living on their art alone. Usually they have a side job or a full-time job, especially if they have a mortgage ,kids, and live in the bay area. So even though it doesn't look like something I'll do full time, I know illustration will always be a part of me going forward and I embrace this change. I know now that I don't want to be the head of internal communications anymore. No, I want my evenings and weekends back and I want to illustrate and be able to spend quality time with family.

So now I'm seeking mid-level roles to have the best of both worlds, financial security and opportunities to pursue creative projects.

The second key takeaway. Invest in what makes you happy. The past six months has been a major investment in what brings me joy. And that's mainly the time, energy and creativity I spent with you. I noticed that every time I hear and see your joy, whether it's playing tennis together or hugging each other over a sad chapter of the Hobbit- these are the moments I live for. Even yesterday when you twins and I had a three-way battle in Magic: The Gathering, things were not going so well with you, Maya.

And you gave me that snarl. It's probably the ugliest yet. cutest expression. I've seen from your face. And it was so timely when you realize you were going to lose first, it made me laugh so hard. , that facial expression is seared into my mind. I love it.

I know you can't wait for a rematch. And when you do win, your victory will be that much sweeter,

And Jeremy, we just had a father sons date last week. And it's amazing to see how much you're growing up so quickly. We were playing one-on-one basketball during our date and your skills are improving. And even though I totally dominated you with my towering height, you don't give up. You give your all, and when you lose, you have the biggest smile and a firm handshake.

Your sportsmanship and thoughtfulness with others makes me beam with happiness. You are truly a joy to be around with on and off the court, buddy.

The third key takeaway never stop seeking inspiration. That's part of my daily morning routine before I draw or take an online class. I explore and search for good art and to learn more about the people who created that art.

On this journey. I discovered some amazing people. I particularly have huge respect and admiration for those who take on side jobs to make a living while pursuing their creative goals. One of the biggest inspirations is Gene Luen Yang. This is a guy, not much older than me that spent 16 years of his life being an awesome high school teacher in Oakland, California, while raising four daughters with his wife.

And through his evenings and weekends, he wrote and illustrated graphic novels that are wonderful. You twins and I have read many of his stories already, and much of them are impacting on us today as Asian Americans. Today Gene is gaining even more popularity because his first graphic novel, American born Chinese, has been adapted as a Disney plus TV show, which we find highly entertaining. And now Gene is a full-time creator for Marvel and DC comics where he worked on Shang-Chi and Superman. So Gene gives me that hope that perhaps I too can create a graphic novel someday on top of working a full-time job and raising a family.

Well, that's all for now, JereMaya. Thank you for the wonderful past six months together. This is such a special time and I have high hopes for our future. Love you.